AMAZING GRACE Members Rally to Help Victims of Hurricane Katrina
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INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2005 AMAZING GRACE Members Rally To Help Victims Of Hurricane Katrina www.teamster.org ININ THISTHIS ISSUEISSUE 2 TEAMSTER NEWS l Teamsters Join Global Federation FEATURES l 100 Scholarships Awarded 8 l New Prescription Drug Helping Hands Program Introduced Members Help Victims l Of Hurricane Katrina 8 Chicago Beverage Drivers Win Contract 14 Positive Developments 16 l Tankhaulers Join Union At USF 20 ORGANIZING Laid-Off Members, Dugan l Employees Gain Opportunities Mrs. Baird’s Workers Join Local 745 l Maryland Printers 16 Working Towards Vote “Yes” Tomorrow l Local 117 Welcomes Bus Drivers Members Get Involved 22 To Protect Pensions l Redi-Mix Drivers Join Local 170 22 Concrete Gains l Truck Drivers Join Local 282 Members Local 179 Strike For Better Economic Packages 26 ELECTION MATERIAL 29 COURT MATERIAL Cover photo: Rhonda Slafer 32 Horse Power Missouri Teamster Pays www.teamster.org Homage To Teamsters Of Old International Brotherhood of Teamsters 25 Louisiana Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001-2198 202-624-6800 The Teamster (ISSN 1083-2394) is the official publication of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 25 Louisiana Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20001-2198. It is published eight times a year in February, March/April, May, June/July, August, September, October/November and December/January. Periodical postage paid at Washington, D.C. and at additional mailing offices. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2005, VOLUME 102, NO. 7 © 2005 International Brotherhood of Teamsters. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Teamster, Affiliates Records Department, 25 Louisiana Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20001-2198. Subscription rates: $12 per year. Single copies, $2. (All orders payable in advance.) Members should send address changes to their local union. A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL PRESIDENT Organizing Our Priorities urricane Katrina has not only ravaged Standing Together our Gulf Coast, it has exposed the Teamsters from across the country are driving scandal of our nation’s poverty. trucks and delivering supplies as part of the The tragedy in New Orleans was hurricane relief effort. Others are donating shameful: Needy Americans without food, clothing and volunteering their time. adequate food or medicine. Unsani- America is at its best when its citizens pull tary living conditions. Underprivileged together during times of crisis and despair. citizens unable to access medical care. And Teamsters have always answered the call A federal government that was unre- when their nation needed them most. Hsponsive to the plight of our nation’s poor. And Over the last century, Americans have con- that was before the storm hit. sistently lifted themselves out of poverty and Ever since Ronald Reagan, so-called “big into the middle class through union member- government” has been demonized. Tax cuts for ship. By standing together and bargaining col- the wealthy and a free ride for corporations are lectively, generations of American workers have religion in Washington. Workers dealing with improved their lives significantly. disappearing jobs, declining wages, no health The desire for respect and dignity never insurance and a paycheck-to-paycheck exis- changes. As long as working people are under- tence get pushed aside because they don’t con- paid, overworked or otherwise mistreated, tribute big money to political campaigns. there will be the need for a union. I believe the But those tax cuts are haunting us now. Our dignity of American workers cannot be export- nation lacks needed infrastructure. Failure to ed, privatized or downsized. And I don’t invest in our ports, bridges and levees has believe the government should set up barriers made us more vulnerable to terrorists and nat- to discourage working Americans from joining ural disasters. Privatization and downsizing a union and improving their lives. have put unqualified workers on the front lines What the government and the people of our of our nation’s homeland security. This is not great country need is to be better organized. the America I want for my grandchildren. Government needs to better organize its priori- In the wake of the worst disaster in our ties—including its emergency management. nation’s history, some questions need to be And working people need organized labor like asked and answered. Do we want a political sys- never before. tem that rewards only the wealthy and neglects the working poor? Is it good for America to have the divide between the upper and lower classes grow greater every year? Why is national health care treated as a budget issue instead of a matter of human dignity? www.teamster.org | OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2005 | TEAMSTER 1 TEAMSTER NEWS a panel about the Teamster that we were all working organizing campaign at Que- together,”said Gomez, an ink becor World. and roll tender. Small World “The Quebecor experience Teamsters Join Union Network International Worldwide Campaigns was instructive for all of us,” The Quebecor World panel Jennings said.“Our combined included Chi Gomez, a proud efforts clearly resulted in new Teamster from the recent- increased union membership.” eamsters General Secre- workers’ needs in the new mil- ly organized Quebecor plant in Keegel also restated the tary-Treasurer Tom Keegel lennium. With more than 15.5 Fernley, Nevada. Gomez Teamsters’ ongoing global Tpledged to stand tall with million members, UNI is tai- commitment to organize DHL workers around the world, loring its organizing strategy workers in the United States. addressing international dele- to address globalization and “In a global Rolf Büttner, the head of gates attending Union Net- help affiliated unions and their marketplace, we ver.di, a union that represents work International’s (UNI) members create international need to work with Second World Congress. networks. our brothers and “Joining UNI is a natural UNI encourages solidarity sisters all around step for us as we try and across borders, raises issues of the world, fighting change the course of the common concern with to make sure American labor movement,” employers, governments and workers are Keegel said.“In a global mar- international bodies, and pro- guaranteed the ketplace, we need to work with motes trade union rights right to form their our brothers and sisters all worldwide. own union.” around the world, fighting to “UNI challenges us all to TOM KEEGEL, make sure workers are guaran- imagine a new path to global GENERAL SECRETARY-TREASURER teed the right to form their unionism,”said Philip Jen- own union.” nings, UNI General Secretary. In August, 1,300 delegates “We must rise to the challenge from nearly 900 unions repre- of creating a world that is not senting 140 countries gathered just fit for business but for in Chicago to attend the UNI people as well.” Congress. The UNI Congress high- thanked the delegates for their DHL workers in Germany, lighted global organizing international solidarity efforts echoed Keegel’s comments A Global Federation efforts in the telecommunica- that let workers in Fernley and outlined a regional DHL UNI is a global federation that tions industry, postal sector, know that they were not alone. organizing plan currently formed in 2000 to respond to and graphical sector, including “It totally pumped me up under way in Europe. James P.Hoffa VICE PRESIDENTS TEAMSTERS CANADA CENTRAL REGION EASTERN REGION SOUTHERN REGION WESTERN REGION TRUSTEES General President AT-LARGE Robert Bouvier, Patrick W. Flynn Jack Cipriani Tyson Johnson J. Allen Hobart Frank Gallegos 25 Louisiana Ave., NW Randy Cammack President 4217 South Halsted St. P.O. Box 35405 1007 Jonelle Street 553 John Street 207 North Sanborn Rd. Washington, DC 20001 845 Oak Park Road Teamsters Canada Chicago, IL 60609 Greensboro, NC 27425 Dallas, TX 75217 Seattle, WA 98109 Salinas, CA 93905 Covina, CA 91724 2540 Daniel Johnson C. Thomas Keegel Suite 804 Walter A. Lytle Ken Hall Ken Wood Chuck Mack Henry B. Perry Jr. General Secretary- Fred Gegare Laval, Quebec, Canada 2644 Cass Street 267 Staunton Ave. SW 5818 E. MLK Jr. Blvd. P.O. Box 2270 796 E. Brooks Ave. Treasurer 1546 Main Street H7T 2S3 Fort Wayne, IN 46808 South Charleston, WV Tampa, FL 33619 Oakland, CA 94621 Memphis, TN 38116 25 Louisiana Ave., NW Green Bay, WI 54302 25303 Washington, DC 20001 Tom Fraser Dotty Malinsky Jim Santangelo John Steger Carroll Haynes 1890 Meyerside Dr. 9409 Yukon Avenue S. John Murphy 818 Oak Park Road 25 Louisiana Ave., N.W. 216 West 14th Street Mississauga, Ontario Bloomington, MN 765 East Third Street Covina, CA 91724 Washington, DC 20001 New York, NY 10011 Canada L5T 1B4 55438 Boston, MA 02127 Tom O’Donnell Garnet Zimmerman Lester A. Singer Richard Volpe 1 Hollow Lane 7283 149th A Street 435 South Hawley St. 6 Tuxedo Avenue Suite 309 Surrey, B.C. Canada Toledo, OH 43609 New Hyde Park, NY Lake Success, NY 11042 V3S 11040 Philip E. Young Ralph J. Taurone 1668 N.W. 1000 Road 47 West 200 South Credighton, MO 64739 Suite 300 Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Gas Attack 700 Trucks Participate in Convoy for Justice n an inspiring show of soli- Drivers and officials from darity, a convoy of more the Teamsters and the Interna- Ithan 700 trucks driven by tional Longshoremen’s Associ- independent owner-drivers ation (ILA) delivered petitions who work as container haulers with thousands of signatures out of the Port of Miami-Dade to Commissioner Tomas descended upon Miami City Regalado. Regalado promised Hall to call on Congress to the drivers that he would pass legislation that would deliver the petitions to the enact mandatory fuel sur- congressional delegation for charges. South Florida and urge them The convoy, which began to sponsor mandatory fuel approximately 20 miles out- surcharge legislation. side the city, was organized to “The current system isn’t protest the ongoing practice by fair to these drivers,”said Mike steamship lines and companies Scott, President of Local 769 in that employ the independent Miami.“But nothing about the owner-drivers of withholding way these drivers are treated in fuel surcharge payments.